The candour of Robin Van Persie is clearly not consigned to explosive statements
about Emmanuel Adebayor.

A fortnight has now passed since that particular drama but, no sooner had Van Persie declared that he would not “waste any more time on Mr Adebayor”, he waded into the equally controversial debate about simulation. The Dutchman fiercely denied having dived but, asked if he had ever exaggerated an incident, he replied: “Yes, I did.”

The context, he stressed, was only when there had been genuine contact.

“Sometimes when you are in the middle of an action and you get a little push and you know there's nothing more to take then you are in the right to show in a way to the referee that you are pushed,” he said. “That's not really diving. It's just showing, 'Come on, he just pushed me, so I can't score now'. I don't think that's really cheating.

“It's never my intention to dive. It is just not honest. But it is difficult. I had a little moment against Man United, for example, after the whole Eduardo thing, when I had the ball on the right side and I cut it back. [Patrice] Evra gave me a little push - a really little one - but it sort of outbalanced me. I just fell down and the whole stadium started to boo me. I was like: 'Come on, can't you see he pushed me’.”

Van Persie is probably stating a truth that applies to just about any Premier League striker but, after the intensity of the drama surrounding Eduardo, his comments will command attention.

Yet as he gazed out from an apartment overlooking the former Highbury Pitch this week, Van Persie was in no mood to duck the big issues.

From his own failings and those of the team to the incident involving Adebayor, the only question that he would not answer was whether he hopes Arsenal will invest more in the squad. He stressed that he trusted Arsène Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis, although he also admitted that he could not say what was “in the bottom of my heart”.

On Adebayor, his former team-mate, he said no apology had been forthcoming and chuckled when asked whether he now expected any one.

“Not any more,” he said. “What can I say? think he showed how he is in the last couple of weeks.”

Van Persie wants to draw a line under the incident and, above all, he transmitted a burning desire to triumph over clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham who, in his words, have spent “loads” more money than Arsenal.

“I do feel our team spirit is from a higher level than most,” he said. “At other clubs you have lots of egos. The Arsenal squad has good egos and good characters. That's not the case at many other clubs.”

What is the case at Arsenal, however, is that it is now four years and counting since they won a major trophy. Of the current squad, only Van Persie, Cesc Fàbregas and Philippe Senderos played in the 2005 FA Cup final.

Van Persie admits that the players can no longer hide behind a lack of experience for disappointing results, but accepts there is a mental hurdle to overcome as part of winning silverware.

“I was injured in 2007 but I had a good look at how everyone was moving and it was a really interesting period. Basically, we just lost the title in that game against Birmingham [when Eduardo broke his leg]. I think maybe we weren't ready because when it's like a race, when you come close to the finish, every single person gets nervous.

“When it is your first time for everything, it is a bit scary, but if you are a true sportsman you should just go for it. You just need to look at it game by game and don't really think about the consequences.”

Arsenal return today to Fulham, a venue of few happy memories after two defeats in three seasons, notably last year’s surprise 1-0 loss. “They wanted it more,” said Van Persie,” we just couldn't make a goal even if we'd played for four or five hours. That was the first time in a couple of years that I had this feeling.”

Van Persie helped rally the team to use that defeat as a turning point and his willingness to grasp responsibility makes him one of Wenger’s dressing-room leaders. It is a status he takes seriously.

“It has nothing to do with the armband itself, I can just say that I really love Arsenal,” he said. “When I first came to Arsenal, I was 20. The first thing Kolo [Touré] did, he came to me and said listen: 'Treat me as your older brother’. This is what I do now with the younger players. I told Thomas Vermaelen he was coming into a really warm family. Sometimes, I'm quite direct – I'm not always nice. If they want, they can be hard on me too.”